2023-12-192023/24:UbU2 · p.1UbUEducation
Targets for expenditure area 15
A new goal for study support: merging the recruiting and equalising goals
What's at stake: The wording of the goal shapes how the study-support system is assessed and developed further; removing the explicit goal of equalising differences and contributing to social justice could, critics argue, weaken the system's role for people from backgrounds unfamiliar with higher education and lower social classes, while the government argues a merged goal gives equal terms to everyone regardless of background.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether study support's recruiting goal and equalising goal should be merged into a single goal that applies equally to everyone, or whether the goal of equalising differences between individuals and groups and contributing to social justice should remain a separate, explicit goal.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee agrees with the government's assessment that the goals for the expenditure area need to be clarified so that the recruiting goal applies equally to everyone, and welcomes the proposal to merge the recruiting and equalising goals into a new goal under which study support should be recruiting for women and men regardless of background, age, employment status, educational background, gender and origin, and should contribute to high participation in education and a good effect on the economy; the committee therefore rejects the motions calling for keeping the separate equalising goal.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 1 (S, V, C, MP)
The reservation argues that the government, seemingly without proper preparation, suddenly proposes to remove the goal that study support should equalise differences between individuals and groups and contribute to increased social justice, even though this has not been disputed for over 20 years and even though the government itself describes the system as well-functioning; the reservation wants equality and the right to education to remain an explicit part of study support's goals and therefore rejects the government's change.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: approving what the committee proposes and rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 1 by S, V, C, MP.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
What each plan points to — and how the party voted
For each party: the vote its own election manifesto and party programme point to in this case, next to how the party actually voted. A plan can only point to Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| Plan | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | No 0/20/0/4 | follows the plan | confidence: high | explicit |
| S | No | No 0/93/0/14 | follows the plan | confidence: high | derived |
| MP | No | No 0/16/0/2 | follows the plan | confidence: high | explicit |
| C | No | No 0/20/0/4 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| L | No | Yes 14/0/0/2 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| KD | No | Yes 16/0/0/3 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| M | Yes | Yes 59/0/0/9 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| SD | Yes | Yes 61/0/0/11 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
Committee proposal
The Riksdag approves the targets for expenditure area 15 that the government proposes. The Riksdag thereby grants bill 2023/24:1 expenditure area 15 point 1 and rejects the motions 2023/24:2565 by Adrian Magnusson et al. (S) and 2023/24:2684 by Åsa Westlund et al. (S) point 7.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen godkänner det mål för utgiftsområde 15 som regeringen föreslår. Därmed bifaller riksdagen proposition 2023/24:1 utgiftsområde 15 punkt 1 och avslår motionerna 2023/24:2565 av Adrian Magnusson m.fl. (S) och 2023/24:2684 av Åsa Westlund m.fl. (S) yrkande 7.
Riksdag decision: Approximately 30.5 billion kronor from the state budget for 2024 goes to the expenditure area Student support. The Riksdag said yes to the government's proposal in the budget bill for 2024 on how money within the expenditure area should be distributed. Most of the money, over 20.2 billion kronor, goes to student allowances. Over 4.5 billion kronor goes to study assistance and over 2.8 billion kronor goes to adjustment study support. The Riksdag also said yes to the government's proposal on authorizations regarding economic commitments, and yes to the proposal for a new target for the expenditure area. Thus the Riksdag said no to alternative budget proposals in motions. The Riksdag decides on the state budget in two steps. First, the framework for the 27 expenditure areas in the budget is decided. The Riksdag decided this on November 29, 2023. Subsequently, the Riksdag determines in a second step how the money should be distributed within each expenditure area. This decision concerns step two in the decision process.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants study support to continue serving to equalize disparities and contribute to social justice. (S, V, C, MP) — Reservation 1
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The plan explicitly requires that social class bias in university admissions is broken, that study grants are raised so that no one is forced to abandon studies for financial reasons and that it becomes easier to educate oneself regardless of wallet size.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan explicitly requires that social class bias in university admissions is broken, that study grants are raised so that no one is forced to abandon studies for financial reasons and that it becomes easier to educate oneself regardless of wallet size. To retain equalization of differences between individuals and groups and increased social justice as an explicit goal for student support is precisely this commitment. The plan thereby also speaks to the committee's reasons about the goals' formulation.
Original (Swedish)
Planen kräver uttryckligen att den sociala snedrekryteringen till högskolan bryts, att studiemedlen höjs så att ingen tvingas avbryta studier av privatekonomiska skäl och att det ska bli lättare att utbilda sig oavsett plånbokens tjocklek. Att behålla utjämning av skillnader mellan individer och grupper och ökad social rättvisa som ett uttryckligt mål för studiestödet är just detta åtagande. Planen talar därmed också till utskottets skäl om målens utformning.
- break social class biasdecisive»sociala snedrekryteringen till högskolan behöver brytas« (party programme ↗)“social class bias in university admissions needs to be broken”
- raised study grants»Studiemedlen ska höjas för att alla ska ha« (party programme ↗)“Study grants should be raised so that everyone has”
- education regardless of economy»Det måste bli lättare att utbilda sig efter grundskolan oavsett vem du är, tjockleken på din plånbok eller var i landet du bor.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It must become easier to educate oneself after compulsory school regardless of who you are, the thickness of your wallet or where in the country you live.”
- raised student support»Vänsterpartiet vill värna universitetens oberoende och finansiering och höja studiestödet så att fler kan välja att vidareutbilda sig.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party wants to safeguard universities' independence and financing and raise student support so that more can choose to continue their education.”
The plan's fundamental premise is that opening doors to knowledge for everyone is central to breaking class patterns and that social skewed recruitment into higher education must be broken, with education open to everyone on equal terms.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan's fundamental premise is that opening doors to knowledge for everyone is central to breaking class patterns and that social skewed recruitment into higher education must be broken, with education open to everyone on equal terms. Striking the study grant's equalizing goal of social justice runs counter to this, which is why the plan supports the counter-proposal's demand that equality remains an explicit part of the goal. Study financing should according to the party programme be adapted so that everyone can study.
Original (Swedish)
Planens grundtes är att öppna dörrarna till kunskap för alla är centralt för att bryta klassmönstren och att den sociala snedrekryteringen till högre utbildning måste brytas, med utbildning öppen för alla på likvärdiga villkor. Att stryka studiestödets utjämnande mål om social rättvisa går emot detta, varför planen stöder motförslagets krav på att jämlikhet förblir en uttrycklig del av målet. Studiefinansieringen ska enligt partiprogrammet avpassas så att alla kan studera.
- knowledge breaks class patternsdecisive»Att öppna dörrarna till kunskap för alla är centralt för att bryta klassmönstren.« (party programme ↗)“Opening doors to knowledge for everyone is central to breaking class patterns.”
- break social skewed recruitment»Den sociala snedrekryteringen till högskolan måste brytas« (party programme ↗)“Social skewed recruitment into higher education must be broken”
- education on equal terms»utbildning, öppet och tillgängligt för alla på likvärdiga villkor« (party programme ↗)“education, open and accessible to everyone on equal terms”
- prioritize those with limited education»Särskild uppmärksamhet ska ägnas de med kort grundutbildning.« (party programme ↗)“Special attention shall be paid to those with limited basic education.”
The plan establishes that the student aid system shall give all young people the opportunity to study regardless of their parents' financial situation and that broadened recruitment is pursued so that underrepresented groups get better opportunities.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan establishes that the student aid system shall give all young people the opportunity to study regardless of their parents' financial situation and that broadened recruitment is pursued so that underrepresented groups get better opportunities. Removing the goal that student support shall reduce differences between individuals and groups contradicts this. The counter-proposal's demand that equality and the right to education remain an explicit part of the goal is therefore supported.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att studiemedelssystemet ska ge alla unga möjlighet att studera oavsett föräldrarnas ekonomi och att breddad rekrytering eftersträvas så att underrepresenterade grupper får bättre möjligheter. Att stryka målet om att studiestödet ska utjämna skillnader mellan individer och grupper går emot detta. Motförslagets krav att jämlikhet och rätten till utbildning förblir en uttrycklig del av målet stöds därför.
- studies regardless of parents' financesdecisive»Studiemedelssystemet ska ge möjlighet för alla« (party programme ↗)“The student aid system shall give the opportunity for all”
- reduce education gaps»de grupper som i dag är underrepresenterade får bättre möjligheter att studera« (party programme ↗)“groups that are underrepresented today get better opportunities to study”
- broadened recruitment»Vi eftersträvar en bred rekrytering till högre« (party programme ↗)“We pursue broad recruitment to higher”
- strengthened student aid»höja studiestödet och förbättra studenters a-kassa och sjukförsäkring.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“raise student aid and improve students' unemployment insurance and sickness insurance.”
The plan's basic stance in education policy is shared responsibility for levelling the inequalities created by inheritance and upbringing and for education to create opportunities for social mobility regardless of background.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan's basic stance in education policy is shared responsibility for levelling the inequalities created by inheritance and upbringing and for education to create opportunities for social mobility regardless of background. Removing the student support's equalizing objective goes against that commitment, while the counter-proposal's demand that equality and the right to education remain an explicit part of the objective follows from it. The plan therefore supports the counter-proposal's substantive demand.
Original (Swedish)
Planens grundhållning i utbildningspolitiken är ett gemensamt ansvar för att utjämna de orättvisor som arv och uppväxt skapat och att utbildning ger möjligheter till klassresor oavsett bakgrund. Att stryka studiestödets utjämnande mål går emot det åtagandet, medan motförslagets krav att jämlikhet och rätten till utbildning förblir en uttrycklig del av målet följer av det. Planen stöder därför motförslagets krav i sak.
- level inequalities from upbringingdecisive»att utjämna de orättvisor som arv och uppväxt skapat« (party programme ↗)“to level the inequalities created by inheritance and upbringing”
- education enables social mobility»Genom att ge alla elever, oavsett bakgrund, möjligheter till en bra utbildning skapas möjligheter till klassresor.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“By giving all pupils, regardless of background, the opportunity for good education, opportunities are created for social mobility.”
- lifelong learning for all»Alla som vill ska ha möjlighet att utbilda sig genom hela livet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Everyone who wishes shall have the opportunity to educate themselves throughout life.”
- education enriches individual and society»Möjligheten till bildning och ett livslångt lärande är berikande både för individen och« (party programme ↗)“The opportunity for education and lifelong learning is enriching for both the individual and”
The plan's social-liberal core is to equalize opportunities beyond the individual's control and that the student support system shall give everyone, regardless of economic background, the opportunity to study.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan's social-liberal core is to equalize opportunities beyond the individual's control and that the student support system shall give everyone, regardless of economic background, the opportunity to study. Striking the goal that student support shall equalize differences between individuals and groups removes precisely the function the plan assigns to the system. The plan therefore argues that equality and the right to education remain in the goal.
Original (Swedish)
Planens socialliberala kärna är att utjämna förutsättningar bortom den enskildes kontroll och att studiemedelssystemet ska ge alla, oavsett ekonomisk bakgrund, möjlighet att studera. Att stryka målet om att studiestödet ska utjämna skillnader mellan individer och grupper tar bort just den funktion planen tillskriver systemet. Planen talar därför för att jämlikhet och rätten till utbildning står kvar i målet.
- student support regardless of backgrounddecisive»Studiemedelssystemet ska skapa förutsättningar för alla oavsett ekonomisk bakgrund« (party programme ↗)“The student support system shall create conditions for everyone regardless of economic background”
- equalize life chances»Det socialliberala uppdraget är att förbättra varje individs livschanser« (party programme ↗)“The social-liberal mission is to improve each individual's life chances”
- increased social mobility»Den sociala rörligheten ska underlättas.« (party programme ↗)“Social mobility shall be facilitated.”
- right to education»Individen ska alltid ha goda möjligheter till utbildning.« (party programme ↗)“The individual shall always have good opportunities for education.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan states that higher education shall be accessible to all with interest and prerequisites and that no one shall have to forgo studies for economic reasons, which is the core of the equalising goal the counter-proposal wants to preserve.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan states that higher education shall be accessible to all with interest and prerequisites and that no one shall have to forgo studies for economic reasons, which is the core of the equalising goal the counter-proposal wants to preserve. The solidarity principle implies an ambition to equalise structural injustices, and knowledge-seeking is described as a human right. The student support system shall be clear and long-term sustainable.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att den högre utbildningen ska vara tillgänglig för alla med intresse och förutsättningar och att ingen ska behöva avstå från studier av ekonomiska skäl, vilket är kärnan i det utjämnande målet motförslaget vill behålla. Solidaritetsprincipen innebär en ambition att utjämna strukturella orättvisor, och kunskapssökandet beskrivs som en mänsklig rättighet. Studiestödssystemet ska vara överblickbart och långsiktigt hållbart.
- education accessible to alldecisive»Den högre utbildningen ska vara tillgänglig för alla« (party programme ↗)“Higher education shall be accessible to all”
- equalisation of structural injustices»Det är en strävan efter social rättvisa« (party programme ↗)“It is a striving for social justice”
- knowledge as a right»Sökandet efter kunskap är en« (party programme ↗)“The pursuit of knowledge is a”
- sustainable student support»vara överblickbart och långsiktigt hållbart.« (party programme ↗)“be clear and long-term sustainable.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan states that freedoms and rights belong to individuals and never collectives, and that the aim is greater life opportunities rather than demands for exact or static outcomes.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan states that freedoms and rights belong to individuals and never collectives, and that the aim is greater life opportunities rather than demands for exact or static outcomes. A study-support target that should equalize differences between individuals and groups and increase social justice is exactly such group-based outcome steering that the plan opposes. The plan wants instead that quality and the individual's prerequisites steer education policy.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att fri- och rättigheter tillhör individer och aldrig kollektiv, och att målet är större livschanser snarare än krav på exakta eller statiska utfall. Ett studiestödsmål som ska utjämna skillnader mellan individer och grupper och öka den sociala rättvisan är just en sådan gruppbaserad utfallsstyrning som planen vänder sig mot. Planen vill i stället att kvalitet och den enskildes förutsättningar styr utbildningspolitiken.
- rights belong to individualsdecisive»Fri- och rättigheter tillhör individer och aldrig« (party programme ↗)“Freedoms and rights belong to individuals and never”
- life opportunities before outcome targets»och medlet är större livschanser, inte krav på exakta eller« (party programme ↗)“and the means is greater life opportunities, not demands for exact or”
- against group-based collectivism»Denna identitetspolitikens kollektivism strider mot« (party programme ↗)“This identity politics' collectivism runs counter to”
- quality as steering goal»Kvalitet och internationell konkurrenskraft ska vara styrande för den högre utbildningen.« (party programme ↗)“Quality and international competitiveness shall be steering for higher education.”
The counter-proposal wants to retain an aim that educational support shall equalize differences between individuals and groups and contribute to increased social justice.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The counter-proposal wants to retain an aim that educational support shall equalize differences between individuals and groups and contribute to increased social justice. The plan distances itself from policy that seeks to create equal outcomes at group level and advocates formal equal treatment where neither negative nor positive special treatment may occur. An equalization aim at group level thus goes against the plan's equality view, while a recruiting aim that applies equally to all lies close to it.
Original (Swedish)
Motförslaget vill behålla ett mål om att studiestödet ska utjämna skillnader mellan individer och grupper och bidra till ökad social rättvisa. Planen tar avstånd från politik som söker skapa lika utfall på gruppnivå och förespråkar formell likabehandling där varken negativ eller positiv särbehandling får förekomma. Ett utjämningsmål på gruppnivå går därför emot planens jämlikhetssyn, medan ett rekryterande mål som gäller lika för alla ligger nära den.
- no to outcome equalization at group leveldecisive»Riktig jämställdhet nås inte genom att vidta politiska åtgärder för att på gruppnivå skapa samma utfall mellan män och kvinnor, utan genom att ta krafttag mot samhällsfenomen som begränsar den enskilde.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“True equality is not achieved by taking political measures to at group level create the same outcome between men and women, but by taking forceful action against social phenomena that limit the individual.”
- formal equal treatment»Vare sig negativ eller positiv särbehandling på basis av kön, ålder, sexuell läggning,« (party programme ↗)“Neither negative nor positive special treatment on the basis of sex, age, sexual orientation,”
- against special treatment»Motverka diskriminering och särbehandling p.g.a. kön« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Counter discrimination and special treatment because of sex”
- education after labour market needs»Den högre utbildningen ska i högre grad anpassas efter behoven på en framtida arbetsmarknad.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Higher education should to a greater degree be adapted to the needs on a future labour market.”
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2023/24:UbU2)
- Committee report full text (HB01UbU2)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2023/24:2334 — Utgiftsområde 15 Studiestöd av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2023/24:2451 — Utbildning och forskning för ett hållbart samhälle av Camilla Hansén m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2023/24:2565 — Studiestödsmålet av Adrian Magnusson m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:2681 — Utgiftsområde 15 Studiestöd av Camilla Hansén m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2023/24:2684 — Utgiftsområde 15 Studiestöd av Åsa Westlund m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2023/24:2740 — Utgiftsområde 15 Studiestöd av Niels Paarup-Petersen (C)
- Proposition 2023/24:1 — Budgetpropositionen för 2024
Source: The Swedish Parliament